Slack adjuster



lli

Patented duly 2G, 192g".

WILLIAM H. SAUVAGE, OF NEV YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY llESNE ASSTGNMENTS, TO THE GOULD COUEFLER COMPANY, A CREOR-ATON MARYLAND.

SLACK ADJUSTER.

Application iled May 17, 1824. Serial No. 714,169.

This invention relates to improvements in slack adjusters and more particularly to automatic slack adjusters particularly adapted tor use with a foundation brake rigging of railway vehicles.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a simple and practical automatic slack adjuster of the above general character adapted to be actuated on eX- cess piston travel vfor the purpose of permanently taking up andy holding the excess travel of the brake rigging.

A further object of the invention is to provide a slack adjuster of the above general character adapted to positively insure uniform piston travel at each application ot the brakes.

A further object is to provide a simple and practical mechanism which may be ineXpensively manufactured, assembled and installed on brake rigging now in general use without material modiiication ot the eX- isting parts.

Other objects will be in part obvious from the annexed drawings and in part indicated in connection therewith by the following analysis of the invention.

This invention accordingly consists in the :features of construction, combination of parts and in the unique relation of the members and in' the relative proportioning and dispositioning thereof, all as more completely outlined herein.

To enable others skilled in the art so fully to comprehend the underlying features thereof that they may embody the same by the numerous modifications in structure and relation contemplated by this invention, drawings depicting` a preferred form have been annexed as part oi' this disclosure, and in such drawings like characters ot rei-erence denote corresponding parts throughout all the views, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevational view partly in section of such parts oi the Jfoundation brake rigging and adjuster as are necessary to fully understand the same;

Figure 2 is a plan view thereof; and Figure 3 isa detail sectional view.

As is well known to those amil'ar with .the art, air brake systems now in general use onrailway cars employ a main cylinder, the piston of which is adapted to be connected with a live lever and a dead lever is pivotally connected at one of its ends to the rear of the brake cylinder, the two levers being connected by means of a tie rod whereby as the piston moves outwardly on application ot the brakes the brakes will be applied. It is to this general type of mechanism that the invention hereinafter described is adapted to be applied; that is, a brake cylinder indicated at 5 is provided with the usual piston 6, and piston rod 7 the end oiwhich is adapted to be connected with a livelever (not shown). At the rear of this cylinder 5 is mounted af dead lever 8 which, in the present case, hasits pivot point 10 supported on a movable adjusting rod 11 carried bya suitable frame 12 as shown. This rod 11 passes through a housing or chamber 13 formed by the sides of members 12 and stop lugs 141 within which are a plurality o1 permanent take-up and holding dogs 15 held in canted position by means of a spring 16, Figure 2. The rod 11 also continues through a second housing 17 movable within the frame `12 and in which is mounted one ormore dogs 18 also held in canted position by means of aspring 20. This second housing 17 is provided with a tubular eXtension21 terminating in a: piston 22 having a limited range of movement oi about half an inch. This limit may be enforced by the construction shown .in vFigure 3 or by thel lugs 26 in Figure 1 or both if desired. i

This piston is actuated by air pressure admitted through pipe 23 extending to a port 24 in the side wall of the` cylinder 5 when the piston 6 exceeds its predetermined piston travel. In otherwords, Vthe port 211 is located six or seven inches from the right end wall, according to the standard piston travel, and when this piston travel is eX- ceeded due to wear oi' the brake shoes or associated parts or the rigging then the compressed air passes through the pipe 23, actson the piston 22 and moves the temporary take up and holding means, including the housing 17, relatively along the rod 11 a distance equal to the travel of the piston 22, and thereby compresses a spring 25. On release ot thewbrakes. this spring 25 ex- -pands to move the` pistonback and with it the chamber' 17 with yits associated partsto normal position. .Thefdogs 18 inthe position as shown will effectively engageithe rod ll'and move thesame relativelyl 4towards the right with respect to the permanent take .i al

up and holding' dogs 15, thereby correspondingly shitting the pivot point l() ot the dead lever 8. In this manner the excess travel is permanently .taken up and held'.V

It Will thus be seen that zthis mechanism ensures a substantially uniform piston travel oic the brake rigging at all times, for as soon as excessive piston travel occurs the mechanism is actuated to take `up the vslack and prevent any further excess ,movement until the parts have ivorir to'an` extent to justify the same. y The degree of take up at each operation, oft course, can be controlled to a Y large extent by the limit of` movement or the piston 22, as :shown in detail in Figure The invention is or ii'nple land practical construction applicable to brake rigging noiv lin general use Without material modification, as i't may be easily .attached to the standard brake'cylinder, and is Well adapted to accomplish among others all ofthe objects and advantagesv herein set i'ort'h j Without rrtlier analysis, the 'foregoing W'ill so 'fully reveal .the gist .of this invention that others canby applying current knowledge readily adapt yit for various app'lications iv'ithout omitting certain features that, romjthe standpoint oi 'the prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specilic aspects of 'the invention, and,"thereiore, sucl'i'adap'tati'ons are and should beintended Ato `be gcoinprehended Within the `meaning range or equivalency i' the 'folloiving claims.y

'I 'claimcm fl.' In an atitomatic slack'adjuste'r lmechanism, in combination, a power vcylinder having a iston with a predetermined piston 'travel or brake application, a deadk lever, a movable Yiilcrum therefor,Y 'and means actuated on' excess travel of the piston v'for moving said movable fulcrum on release of the brakes, vsaid means Air'icl'iiding an vadjusting Arod connected with the ldead lever, relatively movable pler'manent and temporary take-up holding means 3o-acting with said rod, onev of which is moved on excess travel duringthe application of the brakes andthe 'other of which is acti'iated 'on release 'of the brakes, the temporary take-up means `being ifree'ly movable with 1respect tothe adjusting rod during vexcess travel of the piston.

2. in' an automatic lslack adjuster mechanism, in combination, va power lcylinder 'having a piston 'with .a predetermined piston travel for brake manipulation, al dead lever, a 'movable vifulcrum therefor, and means actuated -on excess travel of 'the piston for movi-ng said movable fulcrum -o'n release -of :the brakes, said vmeans' including an adjust'mg rod connected Awith the dead lever,

relatively -movablepermanent and temporary take up and 'holding means co-,acting with said rod, one of which is freely movable Awith lrespect to said'rod on excess travel during` the application or the' brakes and the other of Which is actuated on release oi' the brakes, and a second piston having a limited range or" travel adapted to be actuated on excess travel or the main power piston for actuating said mechanism.

v3. In' an automatic slack adjuster' mechaism, in combination, a power cylinder havingv a piston' therein, a support at the rear end of said cylinder, an adjusting rod carried thereby, a dead `lever having a connection with said adjusting rod, means for preventing n'iovement oi" the adjusting rod during the application oi' vthe brakes, said means comprising a plurality7 oi permai'ient holding dogs mounted in said support, and means for moving said adjusting rod relative to the irs't ine-,ills on release oi' the brakes if excess travel or the power piston vtakes place, said means including an auxiliary piston adapted to be actuated by air pressure 'from the vpower cylinder When the main piston exceeds 'its normal path oi travel.

4l. In an automatic slack adjuster mechanism, in combination, a power cylinder llaving a supporting frame at one end thereof carrying an adjusting rod, a lever pivotally conn cted with said adjusting rod, ya plui'ality or permanent take-up and holding dogs co-acting Wit-li said adjusting rod, a temporary holding dog mounted in a movable 'housing Within said frame yand co-actin@ with said adjusting rod, said holding dog adapted to `'be moved on excess travel of the power piston to temporarily take up the excess travel and move said adjusting rod relative to the permanent take up and holding .means on release or 'the brakes.

ln an automatic slack adjuster mechanism, 'in combination, a power cylinder having a piston therein with a predetermined piston travel for brake application, a supporting frame at one end thereof carrying an adjusting rod, a lever pivotally con-nected with said adjusting rod, a plurality of ,permanent take-up and holding dogs mounted in a housing `within said frame and `coacting with said adjusting rod to prevent 4movement thereol2 during application o'f the brakes, a temporary holding dogmounted in a second housing movable Within said frame, and means including an auxiliary piston at one end or said vsecond `housing for moving said adjusting rod relative to said permanent `holding dogs upon release of the brakes when excess travel ofthe main power l,piston takes place,

6. ln an automatic slack adjuster mechanisin, in combination, a power cylinder vhaving a piston with a predetermined piston travel for brake application, a trame at the rear end oi? said cylinder, an adjusting lrod carried thereby, a dead lever having a movable connection With said adjusting rod `Within 'said traino, a housing formed in'said frame, a second housing positioned Within said trarne and inovable relative thereto, said second housing having an auxiliary piston at one end thereof adapted to be actuated by air pressure from the main power cylinder when the main piston exceeds its normal path of travel, relatively movable permanent and temporary take-up and holding means positioned in said housings and coacting with said adjusting rod, one of said means being freely movable With respect to said rod during excess piston travel, and the other of said means being actuated upon release of the brakes, and a spring acting between said auxiliary piston and said frame adapted to restore the parts to normal posi tion upon release of the brakes after excess travel thereof has occurred.

ln Witness whereof I have hereunto signed iny naine.

WlLLAM H. SAUVAGE. 

